Justin, or 'Bon' as his family calls him, is a playful four-year-old boy from Nairobi, Kenya.
Justin lives at home with his mother, father, older brother, two older sisters, and one younger sister in a two-room house. During the week, Justin walks to and from nursery school, an hour each way.
When Justin was ten months old, he was admitted to a hospital near his home and diagnosed with pneumonia and difficulty breathing. He was referred to the Kenyatta National hospital for a cardiology review. After a two-hour bus ride, Justin and his family arrived at the hospital. There, Justin was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect, (ASD), a type of congenital heart defect in which there is an opening in the wall between the heart's two upper chambers.
In October 2021, Justin and his aunt, Niaomi traveled to Israel in anticipation of Justin's life-saving treatment. Niaomi and Justin enjoyed their time in Israel at the Save a Child’s Heart Children’s Home where Justin loved to play with all the other kids, always excitedly greeting volunteers with hugs. Niaomi shared,
"I feel comfortable here and I am happy Justin is getting his treatment."
In November, 2021, Justin underwent a cardiac catheterization procedure during which the hole in his heart was closed with an amplatzer occluder device.
Following his recovery at the hospital and Children's Home, Justin returned to Kenya with a healthy heart. The Save a Child’s Heart team is thrilled to have provided Justin with the care he needed to live a normal, healthy life.
